Actor. Often cast as a street-smart cop, he will be remembered for playing 'Sergeant Dennis Becker', friend of 'Jim Rockford' in the TV series "The Rockford Files" (1974 to 1980). Born Joseph Minieri, he played collegiate football at Fordham University but later lost interest in the sport. After several jobs including construction worker and cab driver, he was talked by a friend into sitting in on an acting class. Now fully-focusing on becoming a performer, he made his television debut in a 1963 episode of the series "Naked City" and marked his motion picture debut in the Joseph W. Sarno sexploitation film "Warm Nights and Hot Pleasures" (1964) one year later. His breakthrough picture was in the early Al Pacino work "The Panic in Needle Park" (1971), which was followed with "Shaft's Big Score!" (1972), "Shamus" (1973), "The Don Is Dead" (1973), "Blue Thunder" (1983) and "The Last Boy Scout" (1991). He received an Emmy Award nomination for "The Rockford Files" in 1979. Additionally, he had recurring roles as 'Lieutenant Frank Harper' in the series "Hardcastle and McCormick" (1985 to 1986) and as 'Police Lieutenant Nolan Page' in "Magnum, P.I." (1986 To 1988). He became known to a newer generation of TV audiences for playing 'Angelo Garepe' in the series "The Sopranos" (2004). Santos repeated his role of 'Dennis Becker' in a series of "Rockford Files' TV-Movies during the 1990s. He died of complications from a heart attack he suffered two days earlier.
Actor. Often cast as a street-smart cop, he will be remembered for playing 'Sergeant Dennis Becker', friend of 'Jim Rockford' in the TV series "The Rockford Files" (1974 to 1980). Born Joseph Minieri, he played collegiate football at Fordham University but later lost interest in the sport. After several jobs including construction worker and cab driver, he was talked by a friend into sitting in on an acting class. Now fully-focusing on becoming a performer, he made his television debut in a 1963 episode of the series "Naked City" and marked his motion picture debut in the Joseph W. Sarno sexploitation film "Warm Nights and Hot Pleasures" (1964) one year later. His breakthrough picture was in the early Al Pacino work "The Panic in Needle Park" (1971), which was followed with "Shaft's Big Score!" (1972), "Shamus" (1973), "The Don Is Dead" (1973), "Blue Thunder" (1983) and "The Last Boy Scout" (1991). He received an Emmy Award nomination for "The Rockford Files" in 1979. Additionally, he had recurring roles as 'Lieutenant Frank Harper' in the series "Hardcastle and McCormick" (1985 to 1986) and as 'Police Lieutenant Nolan Page' in "Magnum, P.I." (1986 To 1988). He became known to a newer generation of TV audiences for playing 'Angelo Garepe' in the series "The Sopranos" (2004). Santos repeated his role of 'Dennis Becker' in a series of "Rockford Files' TV-Movies during the 1990s. He died of complications from a heart attack he suffered two days earlier.
Bio by: C.S.
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